Virginia is a new territory for the company, but it had existing operations in the other states. The new facilities are in the process of being rebranded as Signature facilities. The transition began after Signature took ownership on Aug. 1.

The facilities previously were operated by Brentwood, Tenn.-based Vanguard Healthcare Services Inc. They all were added as a part of the same deal, said Ben Adkins, media relations manager for the company.

Signature is leasing the nursing centers, so it did not buy the real estate, according to Adkins. The buildings are owned by Chicago-based Ventas Inc. Vanguard gave up its lease, and Ventas selected Signature for a 10-year operations lease agreement, Adkins said. Signature plans to invest an average of nearly $1 million in renovations per facility.

There will be additional investments in the form of staffing and programming, he said. The transaction adds about 1,200 employees. The company has close to 20,000 employees om total, Adkins said.

This is not the first time we've seen Signature grow through acquisitions. Earlier this year, the company purchased six facilities formerly operated by Louisville-based Kindred Healthcare Inc. With this recent purchase, Signature now operates 123 locations in 10 states.

“We formed Signature Healthcare in 2007 with the goal of creating a new model for long-term care — a revolution that would change the way aging care is delivered,” Signature president and CEO Joe Steier said in a news release. “Seven years later, I’m proud that we have been able to extend this revolution to new cities and states, and to have so many others join us in this sacred mission."